Rugged, powerful and ethical – Meet the Fairphone 2

Remember Google’s Project Ara, the so-called modular smartphone? No, it’s still not ready to hit the market, but a company from Amsterdam, called Fairphone, just announced a similar device.

A new modular phone? Ok, tell us more…

Fairphone 2 is the result of a crowdfunding campaign, but the company’s second device, as the original Fairphone wasn’t such a big success. Simply put, it combines the idea of a modular device and the traditional look of a phone. Interested already? Let’s find out more details about it, shall we?

As you can see, you can swap almost all components, if any of them decides to not work anymore, or upgrade it to a more powerful configuration. Speaking about upgrades, the handset also has an expansion port on the back, left for upcoming sensor enhancements.

Check out the official presentation video:

Spec-wise, the Fairphone 2 sports a 5″ 1080p display, protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3. It’s powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 801, alongside 2 GB of RAM, while on the back it has an 8 MP camera. Also, you can enjoy 4G LTE speeds and use two SIM cards in the same time.

Finally, the operating system of choice is Android 5.1 Lollipop, but these guys are planning to make their software open source, so developers can start working at custom ROMs.

Great initiative!

As for the ‘ethical’ part, The Next Web states that the minerals used in Fairphone 2’s components come from conflict-free mines, as one of their purposes is to improve the lives of workers.

The handset will be available in Europe at the end of Q3 of 2015, at a starting price of ~$590. If you’re fancying this idea, you can pre-order it here.

Any first thoughts about the Fairphone 2? Would you buy a phone with such an interesting story behind?

About Andrei Klein

A massive tech enthusiast who tries to keep with the latest releases, in particular Android and Nexus related news. Give him chocolate or a pack of oreos and he will talk for hours about cellphones and tablets!

GeekSays is a technology news and geeky gadgets blog / community, dedicated to the latest technology news and gadgets from all over the tech industry. GeekSays focuses on the upcoming latest technology scoops about iPhone, Apple, Samsung, Google, Android, Microsoft, Windows, BlackBerry, and the latest geeky tech gadgets. GeekSays plays an important role in breaking technology updates about upcoming events, tech devices, features, gadgets and verdicts from all the mainstream technology companies. It also covers tutorials on how to use the iphone, reviews of best android apps, iOS downloads,..